Reconnecting with nature through hiking, camping, and paddling
Late last spring I planted a dogwood in the backyard. By that time the tree had already boomed so I wasn’t really sure what the flowers would look like. All summer I faithfully watered our new tree hoping it would produce flowers this spring. Finally, a week or two ago my care for the tree paid off. It’s in full bloom and the flowers look great. This is a close up of one of the many blooms.
On a recent Sunday morning I set out to photograph of some of the birds frequenting my backyard feeder. It’s always a slow process that requires a lot of patience.
Continue reading “Northern Flicker On The Fence”
This tufted titmouse is taking a break between trips to a nearby bird feeder. Titmice are quite gregarious and are often found with chickadees. They are always one of the first birds to notice when my feeders have been refilled.
This female downy woodpecker, and some of her friends, frequent my backyard feeder.
A friend and I hiked a 6.6 mile loop in Shenandoah National Park, specifically to get photos of waterfalls. Our hike passed three significant falls but this little cascade at the top of one of them yielded my favorite photo of the day. It isn’t very dramatic and I think that’s what I like about it. The image makes me think of a quiet, little, almost secret spot, you could visit to get away from the world for a little while.
This Carolina Wren was singing in a tree near the south bank of the James River. It remained perched on the same branch long enough for me to get several shots of it. This was my favorite.
This tree once stood tall and provided shelter and possibly food to many of its forest companions. Seeing it laying, lifelessly in the water reminded me of the simple truth of mortality. Not in a morbid or depressing way, just as an immutable law of nature. Keeping that in mind, we should all live each moment to its fullest.
When I reached the upper falls on the Doyles River in Shenandoah National Park, the lighting was horrible. The foreground and most of the photo above and to the left of the falls were bathed in bright, direct sunlight. The falls and most of the photo to the right of them were in dark shadow. So I bracketed like crazy and combined two of the resulting photos to produce this HDR image of the scene.
This Canada Goose stands on one foot with beak tucked under its wings, while it rests in the shallow water.
I came upon these mistflowers in a meadow, after a rain storm in early September. The rain drops weighed down the flowers and made them difficult to identify. Regardless, these wildflowers provided the meadow with a pop of purple color.